Subproductos agrícolas, una alternativa en la alimentación de rumiantes ante el cambio climático

Abstract

The production of ruminants, mainly cattle is estimated to grow from 1500 to 2600 million, as well as the population ofgoats and sheep (1700 to 2700 million), in the years 2000 and 2050. In Ecuador the production of ruminants is limited,availability of resources for education, learning problems in dry and tropical regions, the availability of grasses to covernutritional needs, not for animal information, in order to reduce the extensive grazing areas for feeding. The silvopastoralsystems, the use of post-harvest residues of crops of plant origin, are presented as a cost-effective alternative for sustain- able livestock production, due to the large quantity and quality of the biomass for use, throughout the year, even in timesdry. The foliar mass of trees, shrubs and residues are characterized by being rich in nutrients, however, as regards thepresence of metabolites, especially tannins, which decrease voluntary consumption, the digestibility of nutrients and theProduction of the animals, effects that are associated to the concentration in the diet and the quantity consumed, as wellas the state of health of the animal. Studies indicate that in moderate proportions (20-45 g kg-1 of dry matter) improve- ments in animal performance have been shown by reducing ruminal methanogenesis and degradation of forage protein inthe rumen. The (GHG), CO2 is the one that is in the highest amounts that currently is responsible for the increase inglobal warming compared to other greenhouse gases. The objective of the research is the contribution to knowledge, theuse of agricultural by-products, as well as the implementation of alternative systems in feeding and production of ruminants.